**I am not certain this sector has the resources to support such a force.** Zagara frowned, taken aback by the sheer size of some of the ships, several of the smaller ships seen shared by Samateus appearing to be even larger than her Leviathan.
**If you are referring to food and fuel requirements, we are more than capable of sustaining amongst ourselves, if needed. We are also interested in helping here, wherever we can.** Samateus dipped her head slightly, showing that she spoke in regards to her alliance as a whole. As they spoke, Mira Han arrived in a smallish frigate, towing a massive piece of equipment that looked like a satellite dish with a long cylinder attachment. The Ahr'Aht ship then moved to approach hers, Samateus briefly distracted.
**Mira, hey, you can release it, they'll be able to power and run it.** She sent to her friend happily, the Mercenary gladly doing so and racing her frigate to dock with the Hyperion as the other ship appeared to blink over it, tendrils from its underside taking hold of the structure, it slowly coming apart and forming a snowflake-like array as it slowly powered up. Karax watched, warily, before returning his attention to Samateus.
**As long as no harm comes to my Swarm or the Primal Zerg, I am more than happy to welcome new allies to our sector. I will ask, if you have anything of genetic significance you are willing to share once you and your allies are settled, that I will be provided with it.** Zagara bowed, the one the rest least expected to be open to a near invasion fleet.
"I too have no compunctions, you seem to be genuine in your intentions." Valerian turned to Matthew and Egon, and to Mira who almost tackled Matthew as she ran into the bridge. Egon was the only one to raise the one question Samateus had omitted.
"If this Leon is an Astral, and they are most notably different from the rest of their birth-race… is Xerxes one?" Samateus nodded.
**He is. Though he is not fully 'awakened' as Leon is.** She offered as simply as she could, tilting her head aside as though listening to something not shared with the others. **Surriel is stating he's reading new Void Rifts opening in this area, and another. Near what you called 'Ulnar'.** Samateus looked pointedly at Kemet, who seemed to melt into her armour as she turned, light enveloping her as she leapt off the platform, returning to her True form.
**I am ready to assist as needed.** She stated, doing a quick backflip in the air. Karax could be seen checking his own scanning systems, frown deepening a moment as he couldn't appear to detect what the Ahr'Aht ship had. The much smaller ship, with the attached array, backed up to its original position between the Terran and Daelaam capital ships, two Void Rifts appearing on either side of Zagara's Leviathan, which attempted to lurch forward and away from the Rifts.
Samateus let out an exclamation of alarm, streaking forward to assist as the long bladed limbs of two Thrashers emerged from the rifts. Karax and Vorazun expertly worked at the controls for the Spear, Artanis and Alarak, with Rohana watching both, the two standing in almost the same pose in the command station.
Though she kept it to herself, something about the two and how they carried themselves made them appear frighteningly similar in that moment.
Samateus, diving head first toward the Thrashers, seemed to breathe bolts of psionic lightning, the bolts exploding on the limbs of the Thrashers as they reached for the Leviathan. When struck, the Voidspawn howled in pain, turning their attention as Zagaras swarm began to engage while the Leviathan moved away. Scourges slammed into the beasts as Mutalisks spat glaive wurms at their targets, ranged fire from the Spear and Hyperion narrowly missing the Mutalisk swarm.
**Zagara, pull back!** Samateus warned, as two long torpedoes were launched from the Ahr'Aht ship, lancing forward with speed similar to her own as she quickly turned out of a diving attack. Zagara's Mutalisks barely escaped as the torpedoes each struck a Void Thrasher, becoming deeply embedded in the hides of the Thrashers as they howled, turning to knock the cylindrical objects from their flesh. Before they could touch the warheads, the torpedoes appeared to reverse briefly before driving themselves in deeper before exploding in a brilliant flash, akin to a nuclear warhead, though the cloud dissipated far faster, exposing the Void thrashers to have been nearly blown in half, portions of their bodies appearing vaporised before they were sucked back into the Void.
Zagara turned her Leviathan and parked it alongside the Spear a moment, Samateus circling around the back of it, letting go of the two Vipers she had saved from the blasts. They circled her a moment before returning to their positions amongst the much faster Mutalisks, Zagara expressing her thanks wordlessly.
**That was almost too easy. How can we trust them when they can not only detect but dispatch Void Thrashers far faster than any of us?** Alarak narrowed his eyes, skeptical that this potential ally could just so happen to read Void energy faster than those who had been fighting within it. He expressed this only to the other Protoss, ignoring the glances directed at him. Samateus then returned, though she only perched on the platform this time, eyeing Alarak who simply ignored her.
**I apologise, Surriel is not known for patience. Those warheads are designed to dismantle Void energy.** She explained, letting out a purr as Artanis turned to her. While skeptical himself, for reasons similar to Alarak, he accepted her explanation, brow furrowed slightly.
**I will say, it does appear that bringing your allies has a connotation of urgency associated with it. Is it that your allies still elsewhere are in direct danger?** Artanis asked, though he hoped to soon return to their initial task of locating Xerxes and Kul. She nodded, looking pointedly at the Ahr'Aht ship.
**We have a form of subspace and interdimensional communications that allow Leon and I to communicate over an extended distance, even through realities. They are engaged, though at a distance, and are currently well ahead of the threat.** Said the one from the Ahr'Aht ship, Surriel, as Samateus had named him.
**And that threat isn't able to travel as you are? I find this difficult to believe. Void beings have been seen able to survive the worst environments, what would possibly keep the one you flee from coming here?** Alarak did not bother to turn his attention, responding to Surriel and broadcasting for the rest.
**As Samateus has already explained, the one who allowed us to come here, and sent her ahead, is able to open one-way rifts between realms using the Luminous as a conduit. Leon has done all he can, within reason, to ensure our Void Threat is not able to follow.** Surriel sounded ancient, much like Xerxes, and felt strangely similar. Samateus was about to mention why, when the Hyperion, Spear and Zagara each received an alert. **Amon knows we are trying to unite forces against his Void, the rift stabilizer is likely a target.**
**What you call Ulnar.** Samateus quickly shared, Karax nodded to the unspoken question posed by Artanis, as the alert he had received came from a beacon left near Ulnar to provide early warning if Void energy seeped through the structure again. Valerian had a similar watchdog military that would switch out in shifts that had also sent a communique to the Hyperion to advise that they had engaged Void Thrashers and Hybrids. Izsha, being connected to the Hyperion, also understood the alert and instantaneously shared it with Zagara.
"Hybrids? Did I just read that correctly?" Mira blinked, having been reading over Matthew's shoulder. Samateus could be heard audibly growling.
**Surriel, go. I'm right behind. I hope the rest of you will also follow…** She broadcast, quickly leaving the walkway she had perched upon and streaked away, only to disappear suddenly. The Ahr'Aht ship doing the same a moment previously; taking the strange apparatus that Mira had built with them. Valerian and Zagara both watched for Artanis' reaction, as Zagara had received the location and battle information from Matthew, via Izsha.
"Flighty, aren't they?" Valerian chuckled, Matthew shaking his head as Mira laughed.
"That's putting it mildly. I'd have called her Skittish, if I didn't know her better before now." Mira offered, lightly hanging over Matthew. None had seen them standing together before, and this showed just how tall Mira stood, as she straightened up and showed she was at least a quarter-metre taller than Matthew.
**You have cohabitated with her for some time now, can you say with confidence that we can also trust her?** Artanis asked Mira, who smiled and nodded.
"Yes. She's saved my life a few times, in more mundane situations mind you, and even protected some of my boys." Mira explained, the flash of a memory from her showing Samateus, in her Terran form, in a Medic exosuit, an enhanced shield with a barrier emitter sliding in front of a bunker and engaging the shield over it and the Marines huddling nearby as a Siege Tank blast impacted the shield. It held, barely, until Mira had managed to take out the machine with an air strike before the group of marines and the civilians in the bunker were evacuated.
That had been on Mar'Sara, some weeks ago when a group of anti-alliance rebels had dug in and threatened to start dismantling the Dominion supply infrastructure. Mira and Matthew had coordinated the attacks to dig them out, Mira secretly using Samateus as her secret-weapon of sorts.
**Very well. I will defer to your interactions to judge her character…** Artanis took a moment, eyes closed, thinking over all that had thus far happened, and how he seemed swept up in it through no choice of his own. Karax turned to regard him, concerned, meeting Rohana and Vorazuns gaze as well before he finally built up the courage to speak.
**Hierarch, it seems that Amons own greatest enemy has allied herself with us. I do not feel they are doing so maliciously, despite how easily Samateus and Surriel have awed all of us involved.** Karax paused, Artanis calmly reopening his eyes at being mentioned, nodding lightly. Not intending initially to say anything further, Karax did then motion to the marking on the console near him, the image of Ashtareen embossed into the metal. **Ashtareen may have been dormant in acting on situations here, during the battles we've all been involved in, yet has come now, when our guard has been lowered substantially against Amon, to warn us that his influence and followers are not truly gone as we had thought. I believe the Terran saying is 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.'?** Karax paused, Valerian smiling and nodding at them that the saying had been correctly used. Karax did pride himself on learning anything he became involved with, which did include Terrans -Humans- and their extensive history. **However in this, I believe we should simply follow where this gift of information leads?**
**I must agree. That so many Void events have been occurring just today and others having been destroyed without the knowledge of the greater populace, I feel we must follow this through.** Vorazun added, Rohana nodding her agreement. The Protoss turned to Alarak, who narrowed his eyes.
**I've been dragged into this mess, at the mercy of two I would like to vent my rage upon. I go where you go.** Alarak hissed, barely held rage bubbling up at the edges of his speech as he glared at Artanis. Artanis appeared to smile at his reaction, the most calm and non-hostile the Highlord had thus far been toward any Daelaam.
**Very well. I have no reason to further distrust Samateus and her allies. Zagara, Valerian, Are you with us?** He hazarded, though already suspected that Valerian and the Terrans would side with their newly established ally. Receiving a nod from both, and Zagara offering to bring more of her swarm to the fray as needed, Artanis breathed deeply, to steady himself for the battle ahead.
**Then let us return to Ulnar, and let our trust be well placed.**